The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (45 page)

“More than you know,” a man’s voice whispered
behind her and Emily whirled. He stood by the window, the child
cradled in his arms with one tiny hand clutching at a raven black
feather from the stranger’s cloak. She hadn’t even realized Legacy
had fallen silent.

“Put him down now,” Emily hissed, already
pacing to another location in the small room.

“You have a dilemma, Emily Solace. He was not
the only intruder in the house. There are more. Look down at that
man’s side. Do you see the dagger there? That’s the mark of the
Nightblades. They were sent for the child as should have been
expected,” The man leaned back against the wall his gaze falling to
Legacy and a small smile formed on his lips. “You have no idea of
the hostage value this child has to just about everyone for one
purpose or another.”

“How do you know my name?” Emily growled as
she continued to approach the man. If she could just get close
enough she could possibly snatch Legacy from the man’s grasp before
he had a chance to flee out the window.

“That is irrelevant. What you should be
considering are your friends below. The Nightblades have already
incapacitated them both as well as the household staff and while
they are not dead now if you continue to waste time they will be,”
the man continued his eyes still on the child.

“You expect me to leave this room without
that child? You are mad. Legacy is to be protected at all costs and
both Jail and Wisp would agree with me,” Emily snarled as she
crouched for another lunge. If she came in low she could lift the
child straight from his grasp and perhaps still manage to get a
solid hit on the fool.

“Nice plan, think it will work?” the man
asked in a mocking voice, his smile growing wider. Looking up from
the child he turned his attention straight to her and winked.

Emily returned the stare. Her jaw dropped
slightly as she stared at the man in complete and utter shock. Not
even Neph could tell precisely where she was without the glasses
Sovann had crafted, and yet this stranger was looking right at her.
“Are you a Blight?” she mumbled as she slowly stood back up from
her crouch. She hadn’t sensed him as a Blight, but then she hadn’t
truly sensed him at all.

“Ah, if only it were something that simple to
deal with. No, Emily, I’m infinitely more dangerous than your
brethren. I am however on your side here. I want the child safe as
well for my own reasons. He won’t be safe here. As long as your
enemies know that Jala and the main strength of Merro are gone,
they will send more for this child. Your friends are very near
death now Emily, I suggest you hurry and make your choice. Let them
die and fight me for the child or save them, kill your enemies, and
allow me to return Legacy to his mother’s side.” His eyes continued
to follow her as she backed a half step away from him, and Emily’s
frown deepened.

“How do I know you will take him to his
mother? I don’t even know who you are,” she asked as she studied
the man searching for any clue to his identity or who he might be
working for.

“My name is Seth, and you don’t know I will,
you must simply have faith,” Seth said with a mocking smile. “It
would be a perfect time for you to practice that particular part of
being human. Faith is the thing you have the most difficulty with
isn’t it? Well aside from snacking on your comrades that is. Which
in fact will be very easy for you to do shortly and they will
already be dead so no fight in getting the meal.”

“I can’t allow you to leave with him,” Emily
snarled as she lunged with no warning at all. Despite the surprise
she was positive she had, Seth dodged the attack easily and
laughed.

“You never had a choice, Emily. I was simply
trying to allow you a chance to keep your pride. Sorry doll, but I
have no more time for this. The Nightblades are already closing on
this room. Better kill them quickly, Emily or you will have let
your friends die as well as lost the child. That’s more failure
than I’m sure you want to deal with.” Seth spoke the words even as
she was charging him again, his mocking smile never once
faltering.

“You won’t leave this room with that child!”
Emily snarled as she brought her claws down hard across the man’s
side and nearly plunged headfirst into the wall as her hands passed
directly through him.

Seth turned to watch her as she stumbled back
to her feet, spinning to face him with an expression of disbelief
clearly written on her face. Shaking his head slowly he clicked his
tongue against his teeth. “I was gone before you killed the
Nightblade Emily. This is a projection. I’m surprised you didn’t
pick that up with your advanced senses.” Sighing dramatically, he
shook his head once more. “You really do need the Bendazzi with
you, child,” he murmured in a sickeningly sweet voice as the image
slowly faded into the shadows of the room.

Cold weight settled over her chest at the
words and she swallowed quickly as her eyes began to burn. “Damn
you,” she whispered as the full brunt of her failure brought
glassiness to her eyes. The faint scuff of a boot in the hall drew
her attention back to Seth’s warnings and she turned to face the
open door. Seth might have tricked her, but these fools wouldn’t.
Flexing her hands Emily waited in utter silence for the first of
the Nightblades to show themselves. She almost pitied the bastards.
Seth had humiliated her and stolen Legacy and now they would pay
for his sins, painfully. Crouching she waited for the first victim
and only then realized the rest of the city had fallen silent as
well. Not a single caw of a raven could be heard.

The Darklands

“Clear the room!” Seth bellowed from the back
of the crowded audience chamber as he pushed his way through the
doors. The two demons posted to either side of the entrance gave
the rogue a fleeting glance but showed no signs of following his
order.

Finn leaned back in his seat and watched as
the man crossed the room toward him. The spirits didn’t simply move
from Seth’s path, they fled his approach in terror. “Why do they
fear him like that? They don’t run from me in that fashion,” Finn
whispered to Fiona. His teacher and unwilling mentor stood to his
left, watching the proceedings with a look of utter disgust written
plainly across her delicate face.

“The Dark Lady gave souls to him in payment.
Seth feeds off them such as a Soulreaver would,” Fiona answered
quietly, her gold eyes locked on the approaching rogue and
narrowing dangerously. “This is your first official judging of
souls. He should not be interrupting.”

“Clear the bloody room, now!” Seth snarled in
a louder voice, his attention fully focused on the demons that
lingered near the doors.

“Seth, I fail to see why I should have the
chamber cleared for the laundry you are bringing me,” Finn called
across the room before the demons had moved from their stations.
Honestly, he didn’t really want to use the creatures more than he
had to. The hold he had on the denizens of the Darklands was
tenuous at best and he preferred to have them within sight for the
time being. At least, until he mastered better control of the more
dangerous ones.

“I bring more than laundry, Milord, please
humor me, I beg of you.” Seth’s voice held a faint note of pleading
to it that seemed quite out of character for him.

Glancing at Fiona, Finn shrugged and waved a
hand to the demons. With a low growl the first of the creatures
moved to clear the hall. “This better be good, Seth. Do you have
any idea how long I’m going to have to listen to Fiona bitch about
you interrupting?” Finn sighed, glancing once more at Fiona before
looking back to Seth with a weary expression.

Seth paused, a smile on his handsome face and
brown eyes sparkling. He cocked his head to the side and winked at
Fiona before turning to ensure the room was clear of all but the
three of them. With a faint nod of approval he looked back at Finn
and carefully pulled his cloak back revealing the wrapped bundle in
the crook of his arm. “Milord, might I present your son,” he
whispered, as he offered the bundle forward toward the throne.

Finn stared blankly for a long moment before
blinking in shock and rising quickly from his throne. “My son?” he
gasped as he took the bundle and stared down at the violet eyed
child wrapped within. “What of Jala? How did you get the child? Why
did you get the child?” The questions poured out of him as he
backed once more to his throne, his eyes never leaving the baby.
His legs shook slightly as he sat back down and pulled the blanket
farther back.

“Jala left the child with two of her comrades
while she tended to Goswin. During her absence the Nightblades were
sent to retrieve the child. I beat them to it,” Seth answered with
a grin.

“Why?” Fiona demanded, her voice thick with
suspicion as she watched the rogue.

“To gain favor, obviously, Fiona. Why else
would I do it?” Seth replied with a snort of amusement.

“To save the child, perhaps?” Fiona offered
dryly.

“Silence Fiona,” Finn snapped as he slowly
looked up from his son. He regarded Seth for a long moment and
nodded slowly. “You have gained favor, but I wonder what you are
planning now.”

“I’m planning to allow you to spend time with
your son before I continue my journey to his mother and return him
safely to her,” Seth explained easily as he leaned back against a
pillar. “Time passes differently here, Milord. You could spend half
a day with your child and none would be any the wiser. His name, I
believe, is Legacy Sovaesh Merrodin. Quite a long name for such a
small boy but I’m sure he will grow into it.”

“Small boy?” Finn chuckled as he unwrapped
the child fully from the blanket and balanced him carefully on his
knee. “He seems rather large to me for his age. Should he be this
big at two weeks old Fiona?”

Fiona blinked at him several times and made a
faint sputtering sound. “How in the bloody hell should I know how
large it should be,” she asked, sounding as if he had insulted
her.

“Well I thought you…” Finn began but let his
voice trail off as he noticed her expression growing even more
indignant.

“He is large for his age, Milord. I believe
Jala’s magic is still at work upon him. At his age he should be
half that size,” Seth broke in smoothly.

“You know about children?” Finn asked in
disbelief, his gaze returning to Seth.

“He should. He is here because of one,” Fiona
said with a smirk and for the first time since he had met the man
he saw all humor drain from the Assassin’s face.

“I’m not here because of the child, Fiona,”
Seth said softly in a voice that seemed far more dangerous than any
battle cry Finn had ever heard. He raised a hand and rubbed at his
face then looked back to Finn. “I had a child once. If you have
questions, Milord, better to direct them to me than to the
harpy.”

Finn nodded slowly, his eyes watching the
Assassin. “What happened?” he asked after a long moment.

“Someone used the child against me just as
they would have done to your wife, Milord. To love something is to
present weapons to your enemies. They will use the love to kill
you,” Seth explained with a shrug and pushed off the pillar. “I
will be back for the child this evening, Milord. Enjoy your time
with him.” With a flick of his wrist he tossed a bag down at the
base of the throne and pointed at it. “Your clothing and a flask of
goats milk should the child become hungry. It’s a decent substitute
for commoner children, but for your son it will do little more than
fill his stomach. He is pureblood. He requires more to sustain
him,” With a final nod, the Assassin turned and strode from the
room without a single glance back.

Finn watched him go in silence and looked to
Fiona as the doors closed behind him. “Why did you goad him?” he
asked quietly.

“Because I knew it would make him leave. It’s
a sore spot for him,” Fiona explained calmly and looked down at the
child with a faint hint of disapproval in her eyes. “You have no
time for this, Finn. You have to let go of that life and this isn’t
helping at all. This is not your son any longer.”

“I think it’s time we set a few things
straight, Fiona.” Finn spoke quietly, a faint smile playing across
his lips as he watched his son tracing the intricate details of the
chair arm with his pudgy little fingers. Slowly, Finn looked up and
the smile faded from his lips as he locked eyes with his mentor.
“First, this will always be my son,” he said softly. “Second, I
will never let go of my former life. I will always try to protect
those I care for in the Sunlit world.”

Fiona started to interrupt him, but he raised
his voice and continued, his eyes still holding hers. “Third, you
work for me, Fiona and I don’t care what you believe the rules are.
I make the rules now. I am Death. You are dead. Do you see the
difference? I will do this job, but I will do it the way I see fit.
You have taught me and for that I put up with your complaints, but
I will not be your puppet. Are we clear?”

“You are forbidden to use your power to alter
the Sunlit world directly. The most you may do is spare a life. I
didn’t make those rules, Finn. They are part of the Immortal pact.
If you break that pact you jeopardize all of the Divine as well as
the Aspects. Do you think they will allow that? They will kill you
Finn,” Fiona leaned down closer until their noses nearly touched as
she spoke and slowly shook her head at him. “You solved everything
in life by fighting, Finn, but this isn’t something you can fight.
If you break the pact, you die. It is as simple as that.”

“This is still my son. I will never let go of
my former life, and you work for me,” Finn repeated firmly without
flinching from her words or the glare she cast him. “Leave me for
now Fiona. I’m going to spend what time I have with Legacy. When
Seth returns to take him back to the Sunlit world, we will continue
the judging of souls. Until then, see that no one disturbs me.”